There isn't much Dryden news today, but at the county level, the Legislature passed a preliminary budget with a tiny tax levy decrease by a 13-0 vote yesterday. There will be a public hearing November 9th and a final vote November 15th.
There was a bit of a replay of last month's battle over adding sheriff's deputies to the budget. Ithaca Legislator Barbara Blanchard proposed paying for another deputy out of room tax funds. Among Dryden legislators, George Totman supported that one, while Mike Lane:
said tapping into the room tax to pay for department expenditures could become a "slippery slope," because other departments that need additional employees could argue they should receive room tax funding too.
County Legislator Martha Robertson also voted no on that one.
On another vote, however, Totman and Lane supported adding a deputy out of general funds, while Robertson remain opposed. The motion failed 9-5.
Posted by simon at October 13, 2005 12:23 PM in Ithaca Journal , public finance